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Veteran actress and playwright Andrea ‘Delcita’ Wright has been in the entertainment industry for over 30 years and has developed a reputation for being one of Jamaica’s premier comedians.
When asked how she’s managed to consistently serve high-quality performances and plays over the years, Wright expressed the importance of maintaining a “theatrical diet”.
“I find that there is still a big demand for plays these days. But like in anything else, you have to ensure that the diet or palate of whatever you’re dishing out is appealing,” Wright told The Gleaner.
“People do not want to watch a show and say, ‘I feel like I’ve seen this before’. They want content, they want creativity, and they want laughter. So, you can’t just go on any stage with a weak plot and think it will be a hit,” she continued.
Delcita’s viewpoints epitomise the popular saying, ‘variety is the spice of life’, and is clearly the secret ingredient in her most recent play The Real Wife.
“You need when people leave, they say ‘wow, this one was good’. We’ve been in Florida with our current play, and that was the feedback. We found that a lot of hardcore mature people were saying they would watch it again, and that helped spread awareness,” she said.
“So, as a writer, I always have to put on my creative hat. I have to do my social commentary throughout and just make it exciting because the people want exciting. And it’s just like with food; it’s a diet – a theatrical diet – so you cannot always feed them the same thing.”
The Real Wife marks Delcita’s return to the stage with fellow comedic veteran and long-time collaborator, Jooky Jam. The two share a long history, having performed together in several plays over the years.
“Jooky has not performed in Jamaica for a long time, so it was very good to almost like reintroduce him here. He brings such a unique spin to his performances. Seeing him live is a real treat because he almost breathes life into the theatre,” Wright said.
The two performed at the Courtleigh Auditorium in New Kingston during the play’s Jamaican run in late November. However, heavy rains dampened attendance.
“The rain was terrible and many of the major roadways were flooded. But I really have to thank all my supporters, because we got call after call of persons asking if it still keeping and if they can come to a later show,” Wright explained.
It was against this background that Delcita and her team decided to bring The Real Wife back to Jamaica for at least two more shows this year. It returns on Friday, December 27 at 8 p.m. at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in St Andrew, and on Sunday, December 29 at 6:30 p.m. at Ascot Primary School in Portmore, St Catherine.
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